The risk for a global transmission of flu-type viruses is strengthened by the physical contact between humans and accelerated through individual mobility patterns. The Air Transportation System plays a critical role in such transmissions because it is responsible for fast and long-range human travel, while its building components-the airports-are crowded, confined areas with usually poor hygiene. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) consider hand hygiene as the most efficient and cost-effective way to limit disease propagation. Results from clinical studies reveal the effect of hand washing on individual transmissibility of infectious diseases. However, its potential as a mitigation strategy against the global risk for a pandemic has not been fully explored. Here, we use epidemiological modeling and data-driven simulations to elucidate the role of individual engagement with hand hygiene inside airports in conjunction with human travel on the global spread of epidemics. We find that, by increasing travelers engagement with hand hygiene at all airports, a potential pandemic can be inhibited by 24% to 69%. In addition, we identify 10 airports at the core of a cost-optimal deployment of the hand-washing mitigation strategy. Increasing hand-washing rate at only those 10 influential locations, the risk of a pandemic could potentially drop by up to 37%. Our results provide evidence for the effectiveness of hand hygiene in airports on the global spread of infections that could shape the way public-health policy is implemented with respect to the overall objective of mitigating potential population health crises.

/pdf/hand-hygiene-mitigation-strategies-against-global-disease-1d5aw8shxv.pdf

Hand‐Hygiene Mitigation Strategies Against Global Disease Spreading through the Air Transportation Network

Mobile phones represent a pathway for microbial transmission: A scoping review.

Rationale for Review: With air travel restarting, there has been much discourse about the safety of flying during the pandemic. In Travel Medicine, risk assessment includes estimating baseline risk to the traveller, recognizing factors that may modify that risk, considering the role of interventions to decrease that risk, and accounting for a traveller's perception and tolerance of risk. The goals of this review are: to identify the in-flight transmission risks of commercial air travel, to provide recommendations about the risks of flying during the pandemic, and to propose strategies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Key Findings: The airline industry has taken a layered approach to increase passenger safety through effective onboard ventilation, extended ventilation at the gate, boarding and deplaning strategies, improved aircraft disinfection, and pre-flight screening such as temperature checks and COVID-19 testing. Proximity to an index case may contribute to the risk of transmission more than the seat type or location. The use of face masks has significantly reduced onboard transmission and mandatory inflight mask wearing policies are being enforced. Innovations such as digital health passports may help standardize screening entry requirements at airports and borders, allowing for a safer return to travel. Recommendations: In-flight transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is a real risk, which may be minimized by combining mitigation strategies and infection prevention measures including: mandatory masking onboard, minimizing unmasked time while eating, turning on gasper airflow inflight, frequent hand sanitizing, disinfecting high touch surfaces, promoting distancing while boarding and deplaning, limiting onboard passenger movement, implementing effective pre-flight screening measures and enhancing contact tracing capability. Assessing risk is a cornerstone of travel medicine. It is important to evaluate the multiple factors contributing to the cumulative risk of an individual traveller during the COVID-19 pandemic and to employ a multi-pronged approach to reduce that risk.

/pdf/navigating-the-risks-of-flying-during-covid-19-a-review-for-18unvv1l0b.pdf

Navigating the Risks of Flying During COVID-19: A Review for Safe Air Travel

This paper presents plasma technology for the functionalization of both carbonized and non-carbonized bamboo surfaces, including bamboo skin, pulp, pith and mixed bamboo groups, for the production of advanced bamboo composites. Oxygen, nitrogen and argon are used as the plasma gas resources, and various plasma powers, gas pressures and treatment times investigated. Surface composition, morphology and wettability of plasma treated bamboos are characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ESEM to understand the mechanisms of plasma treatment and chemical and physical changes of bamboo surface layer, and interface bond of bamboo composites. Results showed that the efficacy of plasma treatment was bamboo skin > pith > pulp and carbonized > non-carbonized, resulting in different surface characteristics and subsequent interface bonds of bamboo with the optimum plasma parameters being the processing time of 103s, the power of 141W and gas pressure of 38Pa. Oxygen plasma treatment generated an effective surface oxidization and oxygen-containing groups, resulted in significant change in (micro)structure of bamboo surface layer, and led to a significant improvement in the wetteability and interface bonding of bamboo surface and hence physical and mechanical properties of bamboo composites, e.g. MOR of 170 MPa with about 47% increase over untreated bamboo composites. Bamboo composites should be produced with efficacy period of 3 days after plasma treatment for the carbonized and 5 days for non-carbonized bamboo.

Plasma surface modification and bonding enhancement for bamboo composites

Injectable, self-setting calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) are favorable bone substitutes due to their osteocompatibility. However, due to their brittleness and low toughness, their clinical application is limited to non-load-bearing sites. The incorporation of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers into cementitious materials is a successful strategy in civil engineering for improving the mechanical performance of cements. However, PVA fibers in particular have not yet been applied to reinforce CPCs. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of PVA fibers on the mechanical properties of CPCs. Second, the in vitro cytocompatibility of these fibers is studied using cell culture tests. Finally, the in vivo osteocompatibility of PVA fiber-reinforced CPCs is studied after a 6 and 12 week implantation period in the femoral condyle of rabbits. Results reveal that the incorporation of PVA fibers into CPCs is a highly effective strategy to strengthen and toughen CPCs, since the flexural strength and ...

Tough and Osteocompatible Calcium Phosphate Cements Reinforced with Poly(vinyl alcohol) Fibers.

Microorganisms @ materials surfaces in aircraft: Potential risks for public health? – A systematic review

Biodegradable calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) are promising materials for minimally invasive treatment of bone defects. However, CPCs have low mechanical strength and fracture toughness. One approach to overcome these limitations is the modification of the CPC with reinforcing fibers. The matrix-fiber interfacial shear strength (ISS) is pivotal for the biomechanical properties of fiber-reinforced CPCs. The aim of the current study was to control the ISS between a brushite-forming CPC and degradable PLGA fibers by oxygen plasma treatment and to analyze the impact of the ISS alterations on its bulk mechanical properties. The ISS between CPC matrix and PLGA fibers, tested in a single-fiber pull-out test, increased up to 2.3-fold to max. 3.22±0.92MPa after fiber oxygen plasma treatment (100-300W, 1-10min), likely due to altered surface chemistry and morphology of the fibers. This ISS increase led to more efficient crack bridging and a subsequent increase of the post-peak residual strength at biomechanically relevant, moderate strains (up to 1%). At the same time, the work of fracture significantly decreased, possibly due to an increased proportion of fractured fibers unable to further absorb energy by frictional sliding. Flexural strength and flexural modulus were not affected by the oxygen plasma treatment. This study shows for the first time that the matrix-fiber ISS and some of the resulting mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced CPCs can be improved by chemical modifications such as oxygen plasma treatment, generating the possibility of avoiding catastrophic failures at the implant site and thus enhancing the applicability of biodegradable CPCs for the treatment of (load-bearing) bone defects.

Effects of oxygen plasma treatment on interfacial shear strength and post-peak residual strength of a PLGA fiber-reinforced brushite cement.

Decreased extrusion of calcium phosphate cement versus high viscosity PMMA cement into spongious bone marrow—an ex vivo and in vivo study in sheep vertebrae

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Microorganisms @ materials surfaces in aircraft: Potential risks for public health? – A systematic review

Effects of oxygen plasma treatment on interfacial shear strength and post-peak residual strength of a PLGA fiber-reinforced brushite cement.

Decreased extrusion of calcium phosphate cement versus high viscosity PMMA cement into spongious bone marrow—an ex vivo and in vivo study in sheep vertebrae